The Dragon's Vessel
by Jordypye
Summary: With brave wings, she flies. Vessel; a hollow container. To give or have taken. That was her life. Not by choice, but by birthright. No freedom Just responsibility
1. Greeting

Just a moment longer, just a moment longer to enjoy this feeling. A feeling of stillness, of fresh air and peace.

"Hey, are you listening?"

And the peace was gone. "Not really," the young woman in question turned, her dark hair moved with the motion as she glazed over her companion but answered honestly, a slight bluntness in her words.

"Why do you have to be like this?"

'Be like this?' The woman sighed at her thoughts. She just wanted some peace and quiet, why couldn't she get one moment to herself? "I'm sorry, I'm just in awe of our surroundings." She shrugged her slender shoulders as she picked her ham and salad wrap back up and took a bite.

Her companion looked around but didn't see the big deal of the small park they were sitting in. "This dump has you in awe? Jesus, you're so innocent, Kimi." he teased and Kimi rolled her blue eyes.

'If only you knew,' she inwardly sighed in thought.

"You always have your head in the clouds," her companion continued on with his talking, "Kimi, she who is without equal… like, you're on a pedestal, always one step ahead of us simplitions."

She let him ramble as she finished her wrap and went to stand up, brushing her pencil skirt off and throwing her wrapper in a close by bin. "Guess we should head back to the office," Kimi spoke up, her voice was soft-spoken, formal but tense.

"Shit. Guess so," her coworker checked his wristwatch before standing and letting his own wrapper hit the floor, he straightened his suit and brushed himself down before heading back toward their work building.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance Kimi crouched down and scooped her co-workers rubbish up with her spare hand, her other was preoccupied with a work folder. Quickly throwing it in the bin she followed after him but hesitated as she turned back to the bench she sat at. Tomorrow she wouldn't tell anyone she was going to lunch, or maybe just Levy. Levy was nice, usually liked to spend her lunch reading and sometimes even joined Kimi at the park to read in a different environment than the breakroom. 

* * *

Kimi fumbled for her keys before finding the right one and inserting it into her apartment door lock. Once she'd heard the familiar click she turned the handle and pushed her way inside.

"I'm home~" She called out as she closed the door behind her and dumped her keys into a glass bowl on the side table. Noticing some mail she picked it up and flicked through it, not noticing a shadow looming just a few feet down in the hall.

"You're late," a voice called and Kimi whipped her head up to spot a muscular figure.

"Why are you being a creeper?" Kimi asked, scoffing lightly as she flicked the hallway light on to be greeted by a large blonde man with impressive muscles. "Jesus," Kimi moved over and inspected his face, fresh cuts and bruises littered his chiseled features. "Come on," she ducked under his arm and lead him toward the kitchen, finding the first aid box in a high cupboard she went to reach for it only to have it plucked out of the cupboard and placed on the bench in front of her.

"Thought I'd save you the trouble," the gruff voice held slight contempt.

Without acknowledging him Kimi picked it up and turned, noticing how close he was to her she placed a hand on his large chest and pushed him backward until he was forced to sit on a chair. "I hope the other guy looked worse," Kimi joked as she begun to clean and dress his wounds.

"Of course he did," the man scoffed, wincing as Kimi wiped a large cut. "It was recorded, did you not watch?" He glanced up to watch her focused face.

"I missed it," Kimi admitted, "I fell asleep reading to Wendy, she ended up reading her own bedtime story," Kimi finished and stepped back to eye her handy work. "That's all I can do it seems, Laxus... your healing is slow, even for a human." She gave him a worried look as he stood up. "You need to feed." She stated softly.

Laxus sent Kimi an amused look, "are you worried about me or just horny?" He teased, a wolfish grin appeared on his face as he ruffled the top of her head. "I'll be fine, I told you, I'm not going to feed on you, not anymore." He turned to retreat to his room, leaving Kimi to watch him with concern.

'Not forever? That seems like an impossible vow,' Kimi thought to herself as she cleaned up the table and put the first aid kit away, this time somewhere more reachable.

"Home!" A voice yelled out and a stampede of footsteps could be heard making their way toward the kitchen as a pink haired young man and a dark blue haired girl appeared through the threshold.

"Kimi!" the young girl ran over and hugged the older woman tightly.

"Welcome home~" Kimi grinned to the pair, hugging the girl back and swaying with her. "How was school?" She asked the younger child.

"It was okay, I got a B in my Maths test but Carla said she'd help me study for an A next time," the girl informed as she took out some homework and a school newsletter, handing the latter over to Kimi and moving to start her homework at the dining table.

"I picked her up and we went to the ice-cream parlor." The guy spoke up and Kimi nodded, skimming over the newsletter but finding no useful information on it she quickly binned it.

"Thanks Natsu," Kimi smiled over to the young man who shrugged dismissively.

"It's fine, I like spending time with Wendy," he gave a shit-eating grin to Kimi who giggled as Wendy mirrored Natsu's facial expression.

"I like spending time with you to Natsu," Wendy swung her legs as she rested her chin on her hands, "not to mention the ice-cream is yummy," Wendy snickered playfully.

"Yeah yeah, love me for the ice-cream treats I give you," Natsu stuck his tongue out and motioned at Wendy's homework, "but remember the deal, homework has to be finished or no more ice-cream dates,"

"Aye sir!" Wendy teased, refocusing on her homework as Kimi watched their interaction fondly, thankful that though her family was dysfunctional they all took care of one another.


	2. Addict

"Dinner's ready!" A strong male voice called out and the modest apartment seemed to come to life. Doors slammed, footsteps thundered across floorboards and various voices chatted to one another.

Kimi opened her own bedroom door up and stepped out, passing Natsu who seemed to be texting someone, probably his friends Gray and or Lucy. Laxus brushed passed, having to squeeze through the narrow hallway as he maneuvered into the kitchen area.

"Kimi," a rough, quiet voice addressed her and she turned to look at Erik, a smile formed on her lips.

"Erik, how was your day today?" Kimi asked, moving to hug the slightly taller male.

His arms snaked their way around her waist instinctively and he pressed his nose to her hair, breathing her scent in. The tension in his body seemed to ease and he pulled back. "Better now, sorry, I should have asked before breathing in your scent," Erik apologized as he moved away and escorted Kimi to the dining table.

"Don't worry about it, Erik. I don't expect you to ask every time you smell me," Kimi laughed, taking a seat at her usual spot as everyone made room for her and Erik.

"Maaan, Erik you're so lucky. You have the easiest augment." Natsu whined as his food was set before him and he quickly began stuffing his face.

"Natsu, slow down before you choke yourself," one of the eldest members stated, smacking Natsu on the top of the head with a wooden spoon.

"Ow! Jin, that hurts!" Natsu growled but slowed down his pace.

"That's the point," Ryujin smirked as he removed his apron and hung it up on a hook behind the kitchen door.

"I don't think his augment is very easy," Wendy piped up as she twirled some spaghetti with her fork. "It must be hard for Erik because he can smell Kimi everywhere when he's at home which means he's constantly in a draconic high." The whole table gave Wendy their full attention, curious to see where their youngest member was taking the conversation. "W-well you see," Wendy began to stammer, realizing everyone was watching her now. "W-when Erik leaves the house and isn't c-close to Kimi he comes down from his high and would be thrown off because his high lets him h-hear people's thoughts and sense things better than any of us on our highs." Wendy pointed out and Kimi turned to assess Erik. He was tense again, he wasn't use to being the center of attention or topic.

"That's not good," Jin gave Erik a worried look, "your constant high means you could suffer bad withdrawals if you go too long without your augment." Ryujin pondered what that could mean for a moment.

"Great, so we have an addict." Laxus blurted out tactlessly and Ryujin sent him a sharp look but ultimately nodded his head.

"Erik-," Ryujin went to talk but Erik shook his head.

"I know, I've had symptoms of withdrawals before," he admitted, "but it's fine, this house is filled with Kimi's scent, I'll be fine," he concluded.

"Erik, you can't depend on whether or not you can make it back here if I'm not around," Kimi said worriedly.

"If I'm away for a prolonged time I borrow a piece of clothing you've recently worn." Erik shrugged like it was no big deal but Kimi's face flushed red.

"W-what!" She covered her mouth in embarrassment. "What kind of clothing?" Her voice rose slightly.

"Nothing worth getting embarrassed about!" Erik argued, "a t-shirt, jumper or beanie, only those things, I swear." His own face was red at the thoughts running through Kimi's mind.

Satisfied he was telling the truth Kimi ate her spaghetti bolognese quietly, ignoring the odd stare she was being given until Ryujin cleared his throat.

"So how was everyone's day today?" He asked, his blue eyes gazed over the members of his household.

"I got a call out during work, that was interesting," Natsu spoke up as he started to recall his day. "My boss is pretty understanding so he let me go, thank fuck as well, someone fucked up the schedule so we were short staffed, hence why I got the call out to begin with," Natsu explained his day.

"I'm glad you're okay and home safely," Ryujin acknowledged, looking around to see if anyone else wanted to share their day.

"I won my fight against Jura," Laxus spoke up after a moment, seemingly disinterested in the conversation but still wanting to share his accomplishment. "Got a good payout for it as well," Laxus stated, the last part he directed at Ryujin.

"Excellent, this month's power bill is ridiculously high," Ryujin pointedly stared at Kimi and Wendy who were too busy engrossed in their food to notice. "Every penny helps even if it's gained through fighting," Ryujin winced, hating that Laxus' chosen profession meant unstable paychecks and unnecessary violence.

"I'm not having this conversation with you again," Laxus groaned, rolling his eyes at how dramatic Ryujin always was when it came to his career. "

"And I'm not wasting my breath, if you want to get the crap beat out of you by all means," Ryujin retorted.

"You complain about how juvenile boxing is but you still watch all my matches," Laxus shook his head as he finished his meal and got up to do the dishes. "Don't pretend you don't enjoy seeing me kick the other guy's ass."

Ryujin didn't bother replying, instead shaking his head as he got up and headed for his bedroom, "if anyone needs me I'll be doing the bills," he informed before disappearing.

Once Ryujin had left the kitchen the dining area became quiet, everyone was too busy minding their own business. Finally, Kimi stood up and cleared the table of empty dishes, setting them neatly in a pile for Laxus to clean as she started to dry the ones he had done.

"Jin's just worried, we all are," Kimi voiced but stopped when she noticed the look Laxus was giving her.

"I'm not feeding from you, end of story," Laxus finalized and Kimi let the topic drop, chewing the inner part of her cheek in thought as they finished cleaning the dining table and kitchen in silence.

'What a hassle,' Kimi thought, 'Erik is addicted to his augmentation and Laxus isn't getting enough. This isn't just a problem I can fix overnight either,' And even as Kimi got ready for bed she couldn't help but worry for her Dragons. Thoughts like these were usually the reason why she was always so restless.


	3. War and Peace

The weekend had arrived and Kimi sat in her favourite cafe, notes spread out as she planned for the next week. Work, activities, everything. There was something calming about making a schedule for the days ahead. It brought a sense of normalization in her chaotic, fucked up life.

A sigh escaped her lips as she finished off matching schedules with Ryujin, Laxus, and Natsu. When they first started working their schedules clashed so often Wendy was sometimes forgotten in the mix. After the third time Wendy was left waiting for a pickup, Kimi started keeping a planner and three years later it still helped a lot.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," a voice brought Kimi out of her concentration and she glanced up and smiled at a tall man wearing his camo jacket and matching pants.

"Andrei? What the hell are you doing here?" Kimi stood up and threw yourself at the familiar man, he caught her and they gave each other a tight hug. She noticed he was also carrying his rucksack. "You just got back from base?" Kimi realized as she pulled away and sat back down in her seat, patting the table opposite her for him to sit down.

Andrei slumped his bag off his shoulder and placed it in the booth before sliding into the seat. "Yep," he stretched out and filled the space around him, tucking his hands behind his head. "Just got off parade and was on my way to Ever's," Andrei explained.

"I won't keep you long then," Kimi said with a smile, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Andrei looked down at his wristwatch, "it's fine, I'm early and Ever is still at work. I have time to kill," Andrei looked around the cafe then back at Kimi. "Have you ordered anything?" He asked, noting her table had no dishes or cups.

"I ordered a hot chocolate and some lunch earlier," Kimi replied, "but I could go for another drink," she concluded, packing up her planner and scattered papers.

"I could do with a drink too," Andrei replied as he flagged down a waitress and placed his order, "Afternoon, can I grab a large cappuccino please," he asked as the waitress scribbled down the table number and Andrei's order.

"And can I have an iced chocolate this time," Kimi added her order in.

"Yeah, no problem," the waitress smiled as she turned back to Andrei, "thank you for your service."

"And thank you for yours," Andrei gave a small grin as the waitress blushed and rushed off to send through their order.

"As charming as ever," Kimi giggled, "so how have you been? You've been away for a year, why didn't you mention you were coming home?" She pouted, leaning forward to place her chin in the palm of her hand.

Andrei gave Kimi a confused look, "I sent letters," he shrugged.

"Hmm," Kimi thought for a moment but didn't recall seeing any. "I'll have a look when I get home, maybe they got mixed in with the bills." She frowned but it quickly disappeared. "How long are you back for? Did you have any run in's with hunters?" She continued to question Andrei, keeping her voice low.

"Could be one week, could be ten? You should know, I never know how long I'm free for." Andrei gave a brief pause before continuing, "on the other hand, we did manage to get one guy, but the other one got away. That's what took us so long," Andrei explained.

"God, how does Ever cope with your unpredictable work schedule?" Kimi asked, shaking her head and drawing in a sharp intake of breath but saying nothing. They both knew the severity of losing a poacher but Kimi had faith in Andrei and his team. "You'll find that poacher again, I'm sure of it. Plus they might help you find others." Kimi gave a small hopeful smile.

"I wish my Captain had the same attitude you have Kem," Andrei tight-lipped smile.

"I have to have this kind of hopeful attitude," Kimi gave Andrei a sad smile, "I'm the only vessel I know that's still alive, and the only one in existence to be paired with five dragon's," Kimi whispered the last part and paused as the waitress came back with their drinks and placed them down.

"Thank you," Kimi and Andrei both said in unison as the waitress nodded and left them.

Andrei sat up and leaned forward, "there's another?"

"Ah, yeah!" Kimi rubbed the back of her neck, giving it a small massage. "Natsu, he's a volunteer firefighter." She giggled at his occupation. "I was walking home from work and he had been called to take care of a small fire at a neighboring apartment. Him and his team had just put it out when I bumped into him. One look and he bonded," Kimi shivered at the memory. "His augment is sucking." She cleared her throat.

Andrei mockingly gags as he sat back and picked up his coffee, taking a small sip as it was still rather hot. "So," he placed his coffee down, "anything else new?" He asked as his phone went off and he shuffled around to pull it out of his pants pocket, flipping the lid up and taking it as Kimi cringed at the outdated Nokia phone. "Hello?" Andei greeted the caller, "oh hey hun," Andrei's face lit up and Kimi watched Andrei talk to Ever over the phone, letting her know he was on his way to hers but had stopped when he saw Kimi in the window of a coffee shop. The conversation lasted a few more moments before Andrei hung up. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"Don't be sorry, you've just gotten back," Kimi grinned as she had already finished her drink. "I need to get going anyway, but we all should catch up properly, maybe dinner with Ever and the family, I know Ryujin and Erik would love to see you and Laxus has been grumbling about his temporary personal trainer." Kimi laughed as she went to stand and pay for the bill, doing so before grabbing her things before saying goodbye to Andrei.


	4. Eye Contact

"Wendy will be fine," Ryujin reassured Kimi as he opened a door for her. A bright sign above them read 'The Empty Basin.'

It was a small pub, set in the outskirts of their neighbourhood, popular with locals but otherwise rather obscure. Ryujin often spent one night a week at this place. Quiz night, a guilty pleasure of his. He often came alone but sometimes, very rarely, the rest of his nakama would tag along with him. This was one of these times.

"I know, I just hope she's okay," Kimi gave a tense smile as she ducked under Ryujin's arm and entered the pub, looking around she spotted a small gathering of people and a few scattered around the tables.

"She's having a sleepover, finally being a normal little girl," Laxus retorted as he stepped forward pushing passed the group and looming slightly over them as he did so. "I'll grab some pitchers." He declared, already moving to head over to the bar. "Asami!" Laxus called gruffly and a young woman popped up from behind the counter.

"I'm right here, calm yourself," Asami rolled her eyes but a smile broke across her face. "Long time no see Laxus, congratulations on your latest win," she stated as she prepared two pitchers of house beer for Laxus. "On the house," she stated, passing them to him and sliding over some glasses.

Laxus sent Asami a smirk, "So thoughtful, thanks." He picked up the full jugs in one hand, his bicep bulged as he did so. With his free hand he picked up the glasses. "I'll send Natsu over for the next round," Laxus winked at the white haired young lady who blushed in response.

"Nice try, I'm not giving you anymore free drinks!" Asami scoffed, trying to hide her red cheeks as she moved to serve other regulars.

As promised once the next round was needed Natsu was sent up to grab it, he sent a grin to Asami who grinned back.

"You could have come over earlier and said hi, dummy." Asami pretended to pout and Natsu shrugged.

"You looked busy," Natsu replied, noting the pub was rather busy which was an odd occurrence.

"I know, it's weird, but you know I always make time for my favourite person," Asami scolded as she poured more beer into some clean pitchers. "Any cool work stories to report?" Asami asked the pinkette as she finished one jug and filled up the next.

"Honestly? Not really, same problems as usual. Under staffed etcetera." Natsu shrugged as he leant against the counter and watched Asami work.

"Okay, so not work related, what about," Asami mirrored Natsu, tiptoeing to lean across the counter so she was closer to Natsu, "Dragon related," she replied, looking around to make sure no one overheard them.

Natsu gave a funny smile but again shrugged. "I don't know what you want me to say, being one isn't as cool as you think it is,"

Asami groaned in boredom, used to hearing the same line anytime she asked. "How can it not be?!" She exclaimed, "You're a freaking dragon, or at least, that's what you told me," she huffed, pretending to not be interested in anything more Natsu had to say.

"Don't be like that, I've told you the only way I can shift is-" Natsu was promptly cut off.

"Yeah yeah, feeding on your vessel… whatever that means," Asami handed Natsu the pitchers and made a shooing motion with her hands. Natsu's face lit up into a grin and he pulled out a $20 and placed it on the counter before picking up the beer and taking it back to his now full table.

"Okay but how convincing was it?" Andrei asked Laxus.

"I mean, I let him get a few punches in?" Laxus smirked cockily.

"Oh, you let him hit you huh?" Evergreen retorted, pushing her glasses up her nose as she teased the blond brute.

Laxus gave Evergreen a deadpan look, choosing to ignore her jabs at him.

"So is this the new one?" Andrei indicated to Natsu who sat the pitchers down and took a seat.

"New one? Oh! Dragon, me." Natsu laughed before reaching over to shake Andrei's hand. "I've heard a lot about you,"

Andrei leant forward and took Natsu's hand, "good things I hope," Andrei responded before yanking Natsu toward him slightly, "keep your voice down," Andrei said through his toothy smile.

"Sorry, sorry," Natsu muttered as Andrei let go and Natsu massaged his now sore hand. "I can see why Laxus prefers you as his personal trainer,"

"Because Andrei is amazing?" Evergreen piped up, "he has great work ethics and pushes you beyond what you thought you were capable of," Evergreen paused for a moment only to continue, "but he knows what you're truly capable of, he's a hard-worker who gets the job done, protecting those he loves with every fibre of his being,"

"Wow," the table goes silent and Evergreen goes bright red, realizing she went overboard with her speech.

"Awww, babe," Andrei broke into a massive grin as he leant over placed a soft kiss on Evergreen's lips.

Kimi grinned at Evergreen, sometimes Evergreen could be bitchy but most of the times she was fiercely loyal to those she cared about, it was refreshing to see her get heated up about how much she loved Andrei, or how much she cared about Laxus and his career. The journalist side of Evergreen was amazing to watch in action.

Evergreen cleared her throat and took a sip of her cocktail as the conversation moved on to talk about everyone's days, fond memories and future events. Excusing herself Kimi pushed herself up and away from the table to get another drink for herself. As she made her way over she found a free space at the bar counter and stepped into it.

"Can I grab a vodka and cranberry juice please, Asami?" Kimi asked the passing woman.

"Sure can!" Asami grinned, handing a beer to the guy beside her and doing up Kimi's order.

With a quick glance Kimi looked toward the person who Asami just served, they both made eye contact with each other and Kimi took in his facial features, the piercings that dotted his face, his muscular jawline, the way his lips parted slightly and his husky voice as he whispered. "Oh, fuck."


	5. Dread

It was a split second, that's all it takes when it comes to attachments. The loss of self-control. Who can blame them? Their world comes together as quickly as it had fallen apart when they meet their vessel. The rush they feel when they make the connection.

A gasp escapes Kimi's mouth, followed by a surprised yelp as the guy bit down on the nape of her neck. Arms wrapped around her, his long dark hair tickled the side of her face and for a moment Kimi had lost focus on her surroundings. The feeling of having her energy removed, she wanted to hate it, to feel disgusted but that'd be lying. It's a built in feeling, to feel good during feeding, it's supposedly meant to make it less traumatic for the vessel. It doesn't.

Asami stared in surprise, unsure of what's happening and she glanced around for help, thankful when she spotted Ryujin and Andrei arrive and tear the stranger away from Kimi who could barely stand.

"Oi! What the fuck? You creep!" Andrei yelled as he threw the stranger back.

Ryujin caught Kimi and turned moving to push her gently away until she was being held by Laxus. Both males exchanged a look as Ryujin moved back to face the stranger. His hand curled into a fist and he went to punch the guy in the face, only to have the guy catch it with surprising ease.

Ryujin studied the guy carefully before moving his fist back down to his side and turning to Andrei. "We need to leave." He paused, looking back to his nakama. "All of us."

"What the actual fuck!" Laxus snarled, staring the guy who had introduced himself as Gajeel down.

By now the small clan of dragons, Andrei, Ever and Kimi were back at the dragon's apartment. Gajeel stood in a corner of the room while Laxus paced at the furthest side of the lounge. Ryujin was sitting on the arm of the couch, Andrei stood beside him. Ever had made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water for herself. Kimi sat in an armchair in another corner and Natsu sat in front of her on the floor, like a guard dog.

Erik entered, rubbing his eyes and still wearing his pajamas. "What's going on?" He asked in a sleepy blur as he glanced across the room and at Gajeel. His mind cleared of sleep and he frowned as he took in the stranger in his house. "Another?" He questioned, hearing Gajeel's confused thoughts. "But that's… that's unheard of." He muttered, looking at his nakama.

"It was already unheard of when Laxus and I bonded to Kimi." Ryujin grumbled, not liking that another dragon had formed an attachment to Kimi, a vessel to already five dragons.

"I'm sorry," Kimi spoke up, feeling bad that she would have to be stretched even further.

Andrei laughed without humor. "Why are you apologizing Kimi? You don't ask for this," he pointed out. "But this is bad," Andrei ran a hand through his hair. "Another dragon means an increased risk of danger." He pointed out.

"No shit." Laxus scowled, "we're at full capacity here as well."

"Hey!" Gajeel growled, looking displeased that he was being talked about when he was right there. "Who even said I wanted to join your weird dragon cult." He huffed. "I didn't sign up for this shit."

"Yeah?" Ryujin stepped forward, feeling disrespected that his family had been called a dragon cult. "Then leave and don't show your face around here again." He taunted, watching Gajeel hesitate and look at Kimi. "That's what I thought." Ryujin replied. "Fact is, you got a taste of your power, which means you're now bonded to Kimi and judging from your lack of self-control you demonstrated earlier, you liked what you tasted and want more." Ryujin analyzed.

Kimi winced at Ryujin's harsh behaviour but said nothing, there was no point trying to reassure them that everything would be alright. Not when she wasn't sure if everything would be alright or not. Six dragons were now bound to her. Six dragons relied on her to give them strength. How was she meant to cope? She was sure that was why Ryujin was worried. There was only so much energy she could give them before she was left drained.

Panic rose within her and she tried to hold it back. Erik moved to her side and maneuvered to sit in the armchair with her, curling around her and leaning his head on her back. He placed a hand over her heart, feeling the increase as she panicked inwardly. Erik's movement broke the concentrated glaring contest between Ryujin and Gajeel, both men turning to look at Kimi and her laboured breathing.

"Hey," Ryujin moved over to Kimi and Natsu slid back, allowing Ryujin to crouch in front of her. "Everything will be okay, we're here, we'll make it work out." He tried to comfort Kimi but she shook her head. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

"I just," Kimi started but had to pause to find her voice, "I'm scared," she whispered, her blue eyes pierced into each person in the room. "Another dragon bonded to me," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "That means another vessel is dead," Kimi buried her head into her hands, covering her eyes as a sob racked her body.

The men glanced around, unsure of how to comfort Kimi when what she was saying was true. It was a fail safe for dragons. If their vessel died but the dragon still lived, the dragon had the chance to bond to another vessel, taken or not. This helped to ensure the dragon still had access to a power source. This was something they thought would never happen but with in the increase in murders it was actually happening.

"I don't understand, my actual vessel is dead? So I bonded to you?" Gajeel tried to make sense of what he was being told. "I haven't met a vessel until now," he scowled. "How can a dragonless vessel be found anyway?" Gajeel asked.

"Vessels are born with a mark shaped like a dragon, it can appear anywhere on their body." Erik answered. "It's between her shoulder blades," He quickly answered, cutting Gajeel off who closed his mouth, his next question being answered.

"So now what?" He asked instead, eyeing up this mismatched bunch of people.


End file.
